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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468650">Caught in the Crossfire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairaynii00/pseuds/Kairaynii00'>Kairaynii00</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The 5th Wave Series - Rick Yancey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Concussions, F/F, M/M, Violence, Whump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:47:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468650</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairaynii00/pseuds/Kairaynii00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I’m gonna be using @whumptober2019 on tumblrs prompts to create angst.<br/>The ships are Ben and Evan and Cassie and Ringer</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben "Zombie" Parish &amp; Evan Walker, Ben "Zombie" Parish/Evan Walker, Marika "Ringer" Kimura &amp; Cassie Sullivan, Marika "Ringer" Kimura/Cassie Sullivan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Shaky Hands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Set during the months during The Last Star before Ben and Dumbo went looking for Ringer, and after they left the hotel.</p><p>    It was late, probably around two in the morning when Zombie stumbled out the front door with a rifle slung over his shoulder. His footsteps resonated in the house, a sharp contrast to his usual practiced carefulness in not being heard. Evan looked up from his chair on the porch making quick eye contact that only lasted a half a second.<br/>
“It’s not your turn to be on watch yet ya know.” He drawled, sleep deepening his voice.<br/>
Zombie shrugged half heartedly, “Couldn’t sleep and figured two sets of eyes is better than one.”<br/>
Evan quirked a brow in curiosity, the entire time they’d been living here the other boy had gone out of his way to avoid him. The idea that Zombie would willingly spend unnecessary time with him struck him as odd. Either way he decided that he was right about having an extra set of eyes.<br/>
The noises of the night took up the space where there would’ve been an uncomfortable silence and Evan studied the other boy under the soft light of the moon.<br/>
He had deep bags under his eyes and lightly tousled hair where he’d probably been running his hands through it. Hands which were now clutching his rifle and had a necklace looped through his fingers. Hands that were shaking slightly causing the metal of the necklace to jingle quietly against itself. The barrel of the rifle wavered the tiniest bit from the remaining trembling.<br/>
It was in that moment that Zombie looked up and saw Evan staring at him. His expression quickly changed from tired to pissed.<br/>
“What?” He growled as his demeanor shifted to be on the offense. Evan almost thought to not say anything assuming the other boy would surely take it badly, but his curiosity eventually won out.<br/>
“Your hands are shaking.” He indicated before turning back towards the woods, but keeping Zombie in his peripherals. The boy looked exhausted as he stuffed his still shaking hands into the pocket of his hoodie.<br/>
“I had a bad dream.” The words didn’t feel like they fit, but how else was he supposed to phrase it. Bad dream sounds juvenile like you were scared of some scary thing you saw in your dreams, then you wake up and the fright gradually leaves. What do you call it when you dream of your dead sister who you could’ve saved but you didn’t? Zombie lost himself in this spiral of thoughts while trying to hold back the wetness in his eyes.<br/>
“Does it make you feel better when you’re with someone?” Evan asked, shocking even himself. Why did he care? Zombie never made any effort to interact with him aside from the few times they’ve but heads over an idea or a plan. Still there was something that was bubbling up in Evan and telling him to ask. For some reason it felt a bit like someone was punching him in the stomach when Zombie was like this. Maybe it was guilt. He was part of the Others. He helped do this to people didn’t he?<br/>
Zombie cut off his internal monologue, “Yeah, it does.” He muttered softly before tilting his head to look up at the stars instead of the grass by his feet. This was new to them, neither of them did the whole emotions thing very well. It was always harsh words and glares for the two of them, but in the last few months of this domesticity something shifted. It was almost alarming how quickly you could start to care about someone and between all the people they had both grown to care for was there really room for too many more?<br/>
Either way Evan continued with his concern.<br/>
“Well if it happens again you can come find me, I like to think I’m and expert conversationalist.” He smirked, after a minute of silence he thought he overstepped. Just when he was gonna say to forget it Zombie finally responded.<br/>
“That’d be nice.” He said softly before gathering his rifle in steady hands and walking across the porch to the front door.<br/>
“Night.” He said as he shut the door quietly behind him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Explosions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Staying in one spot for months at a time is dangerous. They knew this, but some selfish part of themselves wanted to believe that there was a way to truly live after the Others. Not just survive. Of course it was gonna bite them in the ass, but they planned to be far away as soon as there was any sign of trouble. The problem is that once you’re aware that there’s trouble is usually when trouble is aware of you. <br/>	The first moment that Ben knew something had gone wrong was when Cassie tore into the house hauling ass and screaming at the top of her lungs. It was four in the morning, but everyone jumped up as if they’d been sucking down caffeine for the last hour. Even Megan and Nugget scrambled into the living room upon hearing the commotion.<br/>	“They’re here! They sent a fucking helicopter!” She yelled as Evan and Ringer quickly started grabbing weapons prepared to fight. Zombie moved to a window under Nugget’s watchful eyes and he peeked through the curtains. Nerves were starting to get the best of him but the cold bite from the metal on his rifle was enough to keep him reassured. He felt more than heard someone walk up to him and lightly press against his back. By the sheer height of the person he knew it was Evan. Fixing his attention back on the helicopter he noticed that though they were a decent distance they were still going to fast to land.  Just as Zombie turned to tell him that he didn’t think they were landing anywhere near them, Evan started barking orders.<br/>	“Everyone get to the basement now, they’ve got missiles!”<br/>	The reaction was instant, no one wasted a second. Nugget and Megan were shoved in the direction of the stairs by Cassie who shortly followed. Ringer quickly snatched a gun off the coffee table and then followed suit. It was as Zombie and Evan were starting down the steps that the first missile struck somewhere in the front yard. The windows exploded inwards and bits of glass rained down on the two of them as Ringer reached the bottom. The second missile hit much closer to the house and the force from the blast caused Evan to slam into Zombie’s back sending them both down the rest of the steps. Bits of the house flew through the door after them raining down as they tumbled to the bottom. Evan, having grabbed Zombie on the way down so as to keep them together as they fell, startled when he felt Zombie go limp once they reached the bottom. <br/>Kicking a piece of drywall off his leg, Evan winced as he stood, immediately he grabbed Zombie and dragged him across the basement towards where everyone else was. Whatever was wrong with him would only get worse if the Others decided to come back and shoot another missile. As he was dragging him he couldn’t help but notice the blood streaked across Zombie’s face. <br/>“Fuck is he okay?” Cassie asked, Megan and Nugget sat huddled as close as they could to her with their eyes shut and their hands covering their ears. Evan didn’t answer as he and Ringer checked the other boy for serious injuries while Cassie listened for the helicopter to come back. <br/>	It was as they found the wound on the side of Zombie’s head that he started to wake up. Nugget having deemed it safe uncovered his ears and opened his eyes, and immediately he was concerned.<br/>	“Sarge?” He said quietly, it was probably traumatizing to see your role model unconscious and face covered in blood Evan figured, but he had to make sure that everyone was okay before comforting the children. Zombie must’ve figured that too, as he started trying to sit up.<br/>	“Jesus christ maybe give it a minute or two,” Ringer swore when he immediately started tipping over onto her. She caught him easily and pushed him back so that his back was up against Evan’s chest where he was sitting on the basement floor.<br/>	“ m’ good private.” He muttered as his head rolled back on Evan’s chest, clearly just trying to reassure Nugget since he looked like he was going to pass back out at any second. Cassie kneeled in front of him, checking his pupils and then the wound on his head while Nugget brought Megan up to speed when she finally uncovered her eyes and ears.<br/>	“I’m not a doctor or anything, but I think as long as he doesn’t have other injuries that it might just be a bad concussion.” She muttered as she checked his pulse.<br/>	Evan nodded, that’s what he had expected. <br/>	Finally starting to take some of his own weight and moving off of Evan’s chest Zombie gave his very confusing input.<br/>	“I definitely hit my head a lot. Tons.” He mumbled while Ringer used a strip of her jacket to staunch the blood flow coming from his head. <br/>	Evan kept his hands on Zombie’s biceps should the other boy start to fall again. He continued to listen out for the helicopter, but it was dead silent upstairs except for the crackling of the fire caused by the missiles that were burning up the remains of their house. <br/>	Even though the disappointment of being found and their peace being destroyed weighed down the mood, the sheer fact that they had managed to survive with little injury was comforting to them. They definitely had to find a new base, but until daylight, they would stay in the basement tending to each other's wounds. Still, the message rang true, the Others would not stop until they got what they wanted</p>
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